I would for the last three months, as soon as a slack time came; but
I've been far too busy as yet, and, as I don't go out much till after
it's dusk, nobody sees them."

"But if you should get your feet wet, and catch cold?"

"Ah! that might be the death of me!" said Hector. "I really must make
myself a pair. Well now--let me see--as soon as I have mended those two
pairs--I can do them all to-morrow--I will begin. And I'll tell you
what," he added, after a thoughtful pause, "if you'll come to me the day
after to-morrow, I will take that skin, and cut out a pair of shoes for
myself, and you shall see how I do it, and everything about the making
of them;--yes, you shall do some part of them yourself, and that shall
be your first lesson in shoemaking."

"But Dolly's shoes!" suggested Willie.

"Dolly can wait a bit. She won't take _her_ death of cold from wet feet.
And let me tell you it is harder to make a small pair well than a large
pair. You will do Dolly's ever so much better after you know how to make
a pair for me."




CHAPTER VI.


HOW WILLIE LEARNED TO READ BEFORE HE KNEW HIS LETTERS.